


A Far Cry From Gotham

by 1noel11



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd-centric, Mentioned Talia al Ghul, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Resurrected Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26066569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1noel11/pseuds/1noel11
Summary: Finishing his studies with teh All ACste, DUcra gives Jason a final challenge, to find hope and tranquility. He finds Hope County and teh people with in it.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	A Far Cry From Gotham

**Author's Note:**

> Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright  
> Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,  
> Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  
> -Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, Dylan Thomas

He gulps down air, sitting on his knees, face staring up to the sky. White and auburn hair plastered to his forehead. Birds circle overhead occasionally blotting out the unforgiving sun. Eyes open as a shadow falls over him. He meets the steeled grey eyes of the older woman, biting his tongue as he learned to do a lifetime ago.

“Well done Jason.” the skin wrinkles around her eyes as she shows her gratitude, “Not only did you survive the trials, but you survived the cleansing. I have nothing else I can teach you.” 

Jason raises an eyebrow, huffing a laugh as she hits him on the head before poking him in the chest, “Control your Rage, little one.”. She cups his face with a calloused hand, “One day your heart will shine brighter than that dark fury inside you, when that day comes it will be glorious.” she smiles at him “tonight you rest; tomorrow you will continue on your quest for knowledge.” she turns walking away, her robes drag over the stone floor as she hobbles away

Jason rises to his feet, stumbling on limbs that feel like jelly “I thought you said-”

“I know what I said, man child.” she glares back at him “you have learned all the all caste can teach you. I know you will not stay here, you are not one who enjoys clipped wings. You will leave tomorrow to find your father for a study in Tranquility.”

Jason scoffs as he follows after her into the mountain face 

* * *

The next day sees Jason on a jet funded by the League of Assassins, flying halfway around the world, and air dropping into the wilderness of California.

The next month is spent tracking trails that barely exist, of searching abandoned safe houses and truckstops, all signs are directing him to Hope County, Montana. A name, Richard Dragon, and a reputation, as one of the best Martial Artists in the world, is all he has as he hitchhikes into the southwest corner of Montana.

Jason squints against the sun as the truck rumbles to a stop. He swings down off the bed waving his thanks to the driver. 

He looks up at the Water Tower looming above the town, Falls End, it reads across the side. He raises a hand to block out the sun as he looks around, a pristine white church is to his right, a broken-down bus blocks half the road ahead of him, the town lays beyond it. Light glints off the broken windows of the bus.

“You look lost.” a calm voice comes from the direction of the church. An older African American man is leaning on the fence work around the church, in one hand he loosely holds a bible, the golden cross glinting light back at him “It's okay to be lost, the Lord leads us places all the time, often without us knowing where we’re going.”

“I'm looking for someone,” Jason says, shifting his backpack up onto his shoulders, more than ready to book it up the rock face to his back.

The pastor, signaled by the white-collar, and white leather-bound bible, hums in response, his eyes roaming over Jason. His body language is curious but relaxed, unafraid of him. He's open and patient and Jason doesn't trust it. “Perhaps I can help, do you have a name?”

“Mine or who I'm looking for?” Jason responds shifting in the shadow of the bus so he can see the man across the road better.

“Either. I'm Pastor Jerom Jefferies, this is my church.” he waves to the building behind him as an introduction. 

Ok well now he has to introduce himself, Jason Grumbles “I'm Jason, looking for Richard Dragon.” he sees the man stand up a little more at that, a little more guarded, a little more cautious. So he knows Richard Dragon, or at least the reputation of the man.

“You a student of his?” Jerome asks he friendly tone still his voice

“I'm his son.” Jason finds joy in how startled the other man seems by the declaration “come on in, I’ll give him a call to come down.”

Jason follows under the arch and into the church. The pews are simple and wooden, a few knitted blankets sit on them. The sunlight filters through stained glass windows painting the floor and pews a rainbow of colors. He drops into a pew where he can see the front door and the door in the back and takes a deep breath practicing the meditation Ducra had been into him. He listens to the pastors' voice in the office space not actually paying attention to what's being said. 

“His shift at the lumber yard ends in a few hours,” Jerome says and sits on the opposite side of the pew, “would you like something to eat?”

Jason looks around studying every crack in the wall, and the building in general before shrugging 

Jerome stands to motion for Jason to follow. He shoulders his bag and follows him. 

Jerome asks him questions that Jason barely answers saying he's from Gotham and well-traveled.

Jason looks up at the bar, the neon sign is out but it still shows a woman on the sign with the words SPREAD EAGLE.

The door opens and a girl a few years older then Jason is working the register, two older men are cooking and running food.

Two other patrons, one is carrying a flame thrower the other has a taser. Jason looks around, a set of stairs to his left windows along the back, he can hear a door in the back, it smells pretty good though.

“Jerome” one of the guys greets “whos your new friend.”

“Apparently, he's Dragons son.” Jerome greets

Everyone is looking at him now in surprise, Jason shifts his weight slightly “Jason, sir” he nods hello keeping his hands hooked into the backpack straps

“I can see it, Mary why don't you go help your mother upstairs.”

“But,” the girl pouts 

“Go.” he says his eyes never leaving Jason

Jason stares back, he can see the man is worried and curious. He wants to protect his family. He's got a pistol on his hip tucked under the apron, and a knife on his belt, that Jason doubts he's good enough to use.

“Gary Fairgrave, nice to meet you son.” he cleans the glass he has in hand looking to Jerome

“A table for three, Richard’ll join us when he gets off.” Jerome says

They're seated at a four-person table away from the other patrons. Jason doesn't trust any of it, but he appreciates being sat by a window

“So where’d you serve?” Gary asks as he hands them menus

Jason blinks “I don't understand.”

“Son, you picked out my peacemaker almost as soon as you walked in the door, where’d you serve?” he asks

“I didn't, I grew up on the streets in Gotham,” he responds glancing the room over again

Gary whistles “been there once, back when the Waynes were alive, it was a shit hole then, can't imagine what it's like now.” 

“Hell would be kinder,” Jason responds before looking at the menu

Two glasses of water are set down before Jason decide to just order what the Pastor orders

Jason meets Jerome's eyes and the Pastor is studying him, in return, he sees the Pastor is curious but not concerned by Jasons appearance. He's relaxed even, confident that Jason won't do anything. He's right but he doesn't know that. He bleeds a patience that so sickeningly familiar to his past life it makes Jason want to punch him, the face of an older English butler flashes across his memories. Jason breaks eye contact to look around again, counting anything that could be a weapon “so what's it like here?”

“Falls End is fairly quiet, we’re the only constructed town here, good people, reliable people. What about you?”

“Not much a good people, but I'm reliable,” Jason says with a shrug taking a sip of water before crunching down on an ice cube.

“What makes you say that?” Jerome asks

“Everyone from Gotham is a sinner of some sort, pastor,” he shrugs looking anywhere but at the man in front of him mostly out the window at the slow traffic “you do what you have to to survive.”

‘You've killed.” Jerome concludes Jason nods not supplying that he was an assassin or killed other assassins.

Burgers and fries are set in front of them, they pick at the food, Jason answering his questions.

Jason's eyes go to the door, as the man who walked past the window walks in. The older man is dressed in sawdust-covered jeans, and a sweat-stained shirt, his hair is red with streaks of grey through it, similar to Jason's dark auburn with the white stripe. He smiles talking lowly to Gary at the register before turning and walking towards them. He doesn't carry a weapon, but he doesn't need one. He reminds Jason of a tiger, all lean muscle, coiled and ready to pounce.

Jason meets his eyes, the crystal blue, like what he had before, widen slightly. He wonders what the man sees as Jason stands.

“You look so much like your mother.” is what the man says silencing the bar beside the radio. Everyone's attention is on them again

“I think I look like you.” he responds offering his hand “Jason”

“Richard, but you knew that.” he sits beside Jerome, a beer and an order of fries appear on the table soon after

Jason meets his eyes and is surprised when he can't get a read on the man, beyond the surface level. His hands are scarred from fighting and work, he's content because he has nothing to fear.

“If I’d known about you, you would have been living with me and not _him_.” the venom in the Russians' voice is surprising. His hand clenches around the bottle. A silent agreement of the two to not speak of the other life before till in private

Jason hums “who was she?”

“Her name is Sandra WOo-San, one of my biggest rivals in the Martial Arts scenes, she had you, then not too long after she slept with that Cain fella, and had your half-sister. I don't know what her name is or where she is, just that Cain raised her to be a fighter.” he polished off his beer and fries as he talked. The man looks at Jason 

“Come on i'll take you back to the house, and we can talk more there.” Richard hums standing tossing down a couple of bills “thanks, Jerome.”

“Of course Richard, call if you need anything. That goes for both of you.” he nods to Jason.

Jason climbs into the passenger seat of an old ford escalade that has seen better days. 

Dragon just sits there for a second “I am really sorry, I wish I knew about you before your passing. Sandra, you’d know her better as Shiva, only told me about you after you were dead in the ground.“ he shifts the truck into reverse and backs out onto the road, before pulling onto the road 

Jason looks out the window as he rides, unable to look at the older man whose regret is nearly palatable. “I was only dead for five months. no one knows what brought me back. I only got my mind back after Talia dropped me in the pit.”

He hears the shocked inhale “where. Where have you been this whole time?”

“Talia found me wandering Gotham as a Zombie. She took me back to Nana Parbat. We guessed at first at how long I'd been back. I was mindless for over a year, she said. Left her son with me. Damian is his name. He brought me out of pit madness after I was put under. I spent a year and a half on her Leviathan guard before Ras started to take notice of me. She sent me around the world to various teachers before I spent the last year training with the All Caste.” 

Jason looks over when the man doesn't say anything, there's pride radiating off him, “sounds like you've learned a lot. Why did you come here, Jerome said you asked for me by name.”

“Ducra sent me here said I need to learn tranquility” he responded 

“And Talia?” Dragon asks slowing to turn 

“She knows I'm looking for you, I haven't told her anything,” he responds 

Dragon nods “good, it'll stay that way, I have no need for the Demons to come for me.”

“Does anyone?” Jason asks and Dragon huffs a laugh

“Absolutely not. “ a small ranch house comes into view surrounded by cars and trucks in various states of disrepair. Jason climbs out looking around his eyes going to the muscle cars 

He hears Dragon grunt, turning to face the man, he's pulling metal and scrap work out of the bed of the truck. Jason moves to help but is waved off. 

“Go inside, the guest room is straight back past the kitchen across from the backdoor” Jason nods and after a moment heads inside. It's a standard hunters cabin on the interior, several sets of various deer and Moose antlers line the wall up the stairs. The kitchen counters are covered in fresh produce and cleaned dishes. He continues past into the narrow hall, the guest room as a bed, a dresser, and a safe in the closet.

Jason sits on the bed listening to the springs squeak and the birds outside. He fishes the burner phone out of his backpack looking at Talias number

“Help yourself to the kitchen kid, I'll be out in the barn if you need anything.” Dragon says after knocking on the door frame

Jason turns the phone off and stands “anything I can help with?”

Dragon smiles and waves for him to follow. Jason tosses the phone on to the bed without a second look.


End file.
